David Cameron's tonic to snap us out of recession

Friday's growth figures were deeply disappointing. A 0.4% fall in our national income may not sound much, but it adds up to £6 billion over a year. And its effects will be painfully felt in more bankruptcies, redundancies and repossessions. Gordon Brown, the man who said he had abolished boom and bust, has given us the deepest and longest recession since records began.

It is true that there was a worldwide financial crisis. But hang on: France, Germany and Japan started growing six months ago - and are getting stronger and stronger. Why are we so badly left behind? Partly it is because of the economic mistakes of the past. For example, the government's Vat cut added billions of pounds to what was one of the biggest budget deficits in the developed world, making the debt crisis even worse.

The other reason Britain's economy is still stuck in recession and falling